Jay Buckley

To the editor:One of the zoning amendments being proposed in Madison is Amendment 13. This article seeks to prohibit large-scale commercial withdrawals from within the wellhead protective radius (as defined by the N.H. Department of Environmental Services) of the Village District of Eidelweiss municipal water system. Most of the protective area is within the district itself, where commercial operations are prohibited, but it overflows onto a section of the other side of Route 113 in the commercial zone.The potential capacity of building in Eidelweiss is twice the number of homes there now, and the zoning amendment proposal is the latest in a number of steps the district has taken to protect its drinking water supply. The groundwater protective overlay zone in Madison does not prohibit large-scale water withdrawals, and the state statutes require review and permitting only if the amount withdrawn exceeds 57,500 gallons per day. That would still allow 11 5,000-gallon truckloads a day trafficking up and down Route 113. The proposed amendment only covers that area directly impacting Eidelweiss. It would not affect commercial activities north of Tight Pond or south of Eidelweiss Drive.We are pleased to hear that the Madison Planning Board is considering a more comprehensive approach to groundwater protection for the town, but such matters take time.In the interim, we would ask that voters support the zoning amendment 13 as proposed and vote yes on the ballot.Peter CraughGloria Aspinall